Evening brought fog, which grew denser with the aging night. Danziger cursed, he would have preferred bright moonlight. Still the electronic sensors would didn't know the difference. It just made things more uncomfortable for the guards.
Morgan was cursing, too. Danziger balked at allowing Bess to keep him company. She might distract him, the mechanic said. Everything distracted him when his wife wasn't there to help him stay focused. Didn't they know that by now? So, while Bess went off to keep Julia company, he was stuck in a fog so dense you couldn't see a foot in front of you, forget anything else. Rather than walk into something and hurt himself, he sat down with his back against a tree. He could just about make out the blue perimeter light.
Julia was not in the mood for company. When Bess descended on her, she buried herself straightening out the medicine locker, piling jars and containers on the surface of the locker. Bess talked away as she sat on the cot and darned some of Morgan clothes.
"Do you have anything you want sewn?"
Julia quickly found something. While she preferred to do her own repairs, it kept Bess busy so she didn't notice that Julia was tuning out most of what she said.
Across camp, a few hours after dark, Morgan heard the sound of movement beyond the sensors beams. His pulse jump-started into overdrive. The fog seemed to carry the sound of something big coming toward him, crushing ground debris underfoot. He swung the Mag-Pro toward the noise, turning it while praying silently, "Go away, please, just go away."
ZERO's warning began to blare. "ALERT! BI-PEDS APPROACHING. ALERT!"
Danziger's voice cut through the fog. "ZERO, what direction?"
"Northeast, 22 degrees...traveling approximately a half meter per second."
Northeast! That was his direction. Morgan's knees grew weak. He braced himself against the tree's solid backing. Something slammed into the wood close to his face, showering his face with splinters. He rolled his eyes sideways, afraid to see what it was. A metal arrow quivered, its tip buried in the trunk, inches from his head.
"We're under attack!!! Look Out!" Morgan aimed the weapon at any sound, swinging it in all directions. His finger nervously jerked on the trigger sending a wild blast from the Mag-Pro. Something exploded close by. Sparks rained down, setting small fires in the brush.
"Bombs! They've got bombs!" Still screaming, Morgan spun around, not sure where to run. He heard footsteps and a voice behind him. Someone jumped at him in the dark. He tried to bring the gun up, only to be tackled. Hurled backwards, he hit the ground hard. The wind was knocked from his lungs, then someone ripped the weapon from his hand.
Bess heard her husband scream. In a flash, she was up and past Julia before the doctor could restrain her.
"MORGAN!" She cried, running into the darkness.
"Bess, wait!" Julia ran after her. Alone in the fog, Morgan's wife might be mistaken for an intruder. Julia ran blindly, soon realizing that pursuit was futile. Bess had vanished from sight. All around her there were confused shouts, people running about. Julia looked back toward the medical tent. It was almost swallowed from view by the heavy mist. She couldn't leave Alonzo. Without knowing where Bess was, she could be of no help. She turned and hurried back.
Alonzo jumped at the sounds of firing in the distance. He heard Bess scream her husband's name, followed by Julia's voice calling after her. Both voices fading. An explosion rocked the air. What was going on? He was alone, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.
The pilot sat up. Slowly, he swung his legs around, feeling the pull of tape. His body protested, dizziness slowed him down. He waited for it to pass before he dropped to a heavy plastic floor. Mentally getting his bearings, he began to feel his way toward the direction he believed to be the exit.
The ground ended at the tent wall. The pilot felt his way until he came across the flap that divided the sections. As he began to move it, he was hit by the smell of an unwashed body. When his mind placed the odor, Alonzo was paralyzed with fear. The convict had come back for him, determined to finish what he had started. He froze, sure his pounding heart would give him away, the sound of rummaging and the tinkling of glass was only a few feet way. Alonzo bent his ear to the tarp following the stranger's movement. His pulse began to race at the sound of Julia's voice. It held a mixture of fear and outrage.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
The doctor had ducked into the tent and found a stranger stuffing her precious supplies into his pockets. The convict turned swiftly taking her measure, looking for a weapon that could back up her bravado. Seeing none, he continued to stuff his pockets.
It took all of the doctor's will power not to glance toward the room which held Alonzo. She had only been gone a few minutes and prayed there had not been enough time for this man to find the injured pilot. Drawing his line of vision away from the other room, she moved deeper into the tent and away from the entrance.
"Some of that medicine can be lethal." She warned.
He watched her warily. "Medicine, huh? What are you a nurse or something?"
"I'm a doctor. Tell me what you're after and perhaps I can help you."
"I'm after it all so you can help me by telling what else you have around here worth taking. What's this?" He picked up her diaglove. Seeing the alarm on her face, he figured he held something valuable.
"It's a diagnostic tool, nothing you can use."
He pulled it away as she grabbed for it. "Do you know how to use it?"
"Of course I do." There were sounds of shouts and fighting in the distance, infecting them both with a feeling of urgency. "Look it's only a matter of time until someone comes to check on me. Take the medicine if you want but leave me the glove. I need it for my patients. It's worthless to you."
"Let me be the judge of that." He stuffed it in the waistband of his pants. "Maybe, I'll take you with me so you can show me how to use it."
Alonzo had heard enough. His voice startled them from behind the heavy tarp. "Julia, get out! Run!"
The convict made a move toward the other room only to have Julia block his path.
He grabbed the doctor roughly by her arm and twisted it behind her back. His other arm caught her around the throat so he could use her body to shield his. "If you don't want this woman harmed, you'll come out with your hands raised. "No weapons, no tricks."
Alonzo tried to get up. The pain was unbearable as he placed weight on his feet. He fell to the ground, groaning.
Hearing him fall, Julia began to struggle. "Please! Leave him alone. He's hurt and no threat to you."
"We'll see about that!" He pushed her in front of him, toward the entrance.
Desperate, the doctor tried a bluff. "Don't open that flap. He's got a virus. It's highly contagious."
Uncertain fear caused him to hesitate. "You wouldn't be lying to me would you?"
"Why do you think the tent has been encased in heavy plastic? I'm trying to keep it from spreading to the others."
"What about you? How come you're not sick?"
"I use a gown when I need to go near him. It's over there."
The thief glanced in the direction the doctor indicated and saw the hooded outfit hanging on a hook.
He pulled her along and checked it out. "Maybe you are telling me the truth." He raised his voice for Alonzo to hear. "Okay, you can stay in there for now. Just don't try anything funny or this woman dies." His arm tightened on Julia throat. His lips move to her ear. "Now, if you don't want you boyfriend hurt, you'll tell me what else you have of value?'
"You have it all. That's the truth." She winced as he twisted her arm again before tossing her away. The convict reached for a bottle of clear liquid on the table and flipped the top open. "Know what this is, Doc?'"
Julia rubbed her arm and glanced at the label. "Alcohol. It's for external use only. That means you shouldn't drink it." She added.
"I already tried. It's a little too strong, even for my taste." He tossed the contents about soaking the cot and the walls.
"What are you doing?" Her tone reflected a growing fear.
"Where I come from, we have a cure for contagion." He pulled something from his pocket and stuck it with one hand. "We burn it." He flicked the spark.
There was a flash of exploding vapor, then the fabric went up in flames.
"We'll see if he's too sick to save himself. Meanwhile, you're coming with me."
"NOOOO!!!" Julia pulled away from the convict when he reached for her, drawing him off balance. The doctor used the only weapon available, she swung her fist, putting her full weight behind it.
The punch connected solidly to his jaw. The impact knocked the crook off his feet, while breaking bones in her hand. The resulting pain doubled her over and brought tears. She stumbled, turning, wiping them with her arm, trying to clear her vision. Julia's only thought was to get the pilot to safety.
"Alonzo!!"
A callused hand gripped her ankle, pulling her down, as the acrid chemical smoke from disintegrating plastic filled the tent. Together, the man and woman engaged in deadly combat, rolling across spreading ribbons of fire.
Julia fought desperately knowing both her and Alonzo's life rode on the outcome. Unfortunately, she was fighting a losing battle as the penal colonist was both stronger and heavier than the petite doctor. The end of the battle came swiftly when he slammed her head against the heavy metal chest. A small groan escaped the woman's lips and the convict felt her suddenly go limp under him. He waited, suspecting a trick until he saw blood trickling from her hairline.
The fire had taken on a life of its own. Spreading flames flared. Pieces of liquid fire fell from the ceiling and began to eat at his clothing as he straddled the unconscious woman. He had to get out and began to pull the woman with him but then thought better of it. Tossing her aside, he stumbled to his feet and fought his way through the blaze before fleeing into the night. Much of the stolen treasure had spilled from his pockets and was left behind.
A few feet away, Alonzo crawled about choking, unable to find his way clear of the poisonous fumes. He heard the fight between Julia and the convict raging in the other room. Julia needed him and he couldn't come to her aid. Suddenly, the noise ceased. There was only the crackle of fire.
Desperate, his groping hand swung wildly until it pushed into emptiness. He stumbled into an inferno. "Julia! Where are you? Answer me!"
His hand swept the space around him, whimpering as the blaze licked his fingers. Material was being consumed all around him yet it wasn't dying he feared. The worse horror would be allowing Julia to share his fate.
"Julia, please.." He sobbed, hopelessly frustrated. He knew she wouldn't leave him unless the convict had taken her with him. The pilot prayed for a miracle, but the gods left him in darkness. Continuing to feel his way, Alonzo dodged through intense heat until he brushed something solid. His hands explored and found the familiar contours of Julia's body. "Julia? Come on, we have to get out."
The air was getting difficult to breathe, the heat unbearable. He tugged at her, trying to rouse her. His palm traced her features, feeling her breath against his skin. Why wasn't she responding? Probing fingers brushed back the hair on her forehead and touched something sticky. He raising them to his lips, he tasted blood. Despair engulfed the pilot. Julia was still alive but he needed her eyes to find the way out. With her unconscious, he had little chance of saving her. Alonzo pulled her against his chest, tucking the doctor's arms and legs beneath his body to shield her from incineration.
With fading strength, the pilot began to crawl, dragging his lover with him. The smell of singed hair and clothing filled his nostrils. He was lost and almost out of time. Coughing violently, he lunged forward, slamming his head on a hard surface.
"Sir, I would advise you to leave the area. It is no longer safe to remain."
Alonzo thought he was dreaming, only he didn't dream. The pain from impact subsided and he looked up. Through the smoke and haze, ZERO's dome lowered until it was just inches from his face.
He blinked, though his vision was cloudy and out of focus, he could see a shape. "ZERO? I think I can see you."
"And I can see you, sir."
"Help me." The pilot pleaded.
The robot reached down and offered support.
"No! Leave me. Take her."
He offered Julia into the robot's arms. The effort cost him and he fell back to the ground. ZERO bent and embraced them both. With a mechanical jerk, the robot lifted the victims into an awkward angle. Maintaining his hold, he turned and marched through the flames unmindful of his burden.
ooo
Danziger and Baines raced across camp to back up Morgan's position. The blast of the Mag-Pro and following explosion of blue light had them scrambling through a rain of hot shrapnel.
"Shanking idiot blew away my perimeter alert." Baines cursed.
Danziger hurled himself forward, leveling the bureaucrat as he wildly swung his weapon in the direction of the technician's voice. Morgan lay sprawled, gasping for the air the big mechanic knocked from his body.
The camp was in chaos as invaders clashed with the colonists. The penal colonists' plans were also in disarray. It had been meant as nothing more than a simple harassment effort. A few arrows lobed over the laser defense in the hope that someone would drop the barrier and pursue the antagonists. Strategically placed members of their band would then slip in and steal what they could before their ruse was discovered.
They hadn't expected the pandemonium that followed one well placed arrow and the resulting disintegration of the security system by the colonists' own guard. Scarcely believing their luck and overcome by greed, they tore through the campground, grabbing anything not nailed down.
Danziger shook his hand as another raider bit the dust under his well placed fist. He yelled to the other members of his group, shouting encouragement while trying to reorganize them. Fearing to fire the weapon because of limited visibility, he used it as a club, splitting a few heads instead. Anger over the turn of events had him looking like a crazed, hulking, madman, so most simply fled the sight of him. This included Morgan, who was trying to work his way back to Bess. He had found a safe haven under the TransRover until his wife's frantic calls brought him scurrying out.
"Oh my God Morgan, I was so afraid you were hurt." She wrapped her arms around him in relief.
"Bess, what are you doing running around in the open? We're being overrun by murderers and rapists."
"I had to find you, to make sure you were safe." She hugged him fiercely while Morgan looked nervously about. The sound of fighting had died down to almost nothing.
Baffled by his lack of response, she pulled back to study his face. "Morgan, what is it? Why are you unarmed? Where's the Mag-Pro?"
He fidgeted with a torn fingernail, unable to meet her eyes. "I kind of dropped it after the accident."
"What accident? Morgan what happened?" She was suddenly afraid he might have mistakenly shot a member of their team.
"An arrow came within a gazillionth of a second of pinning my brains to a tree, is what."
"Oh my God!" She took his face in her hands, searching for injuries. "Morgan, honey, it's all right, you're safe now."
"I'm not so sure about that." He thought how Baines and Danziger would surely kill him if the penal colonists didn't.
"What are you talking about?"
"I...ahh...kind of accidentally blew that perimeter thingy to smithereens."
"Well, you didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident. You were almost killed, Morgan. What's a stupid piece of metal compared to your life?"
"Yea." He suddenly felt better. "Yea, you're right!" Bess sure knew how to put things into the right perspective. He hugged her back.
Danziger heard someone running directly toward him. He gripped the weapon like a club ready to hit a homerun with some grubby thief's head. Walman came into view and stopped dead, the color draining from his face as he realized his close call. The big mechanic relaxed. It wasn't that close. Danziger always gave the invaders a few seconds to change their mind about leaving the way they came before he helped them out.
Out of breath, other man stammered. "Yale wants you to come quick. The medical tent's on fire."
John broke into a run with Walman following. "Julia and Alonzo? Are they all right?"
"I don't know." Ahead of them, there was a pulsating glow, as if the sky was burning.
Yale had been guarding the children, who were locked securely in the TransRover. The elderly man never left his charges, even when all hell broke out. He paced like a nervous cat, telling the children to stay down when they peered wide-eyed through the window glass. Occasionally someone from their group would run by but eventually, things began to quiet down. Bess had rushed up asking if Yale had seen her husband. The cyborg replied to the negative and was taken aback as Morgan crawled from beneath the truck to intercept his wife as she started to run off. The tutor was too far away to hear what they said.
It was the returning ZERO that alerted him to the fire. The robot picked up an unknown figure running from the medical facility. He sounded an alert, turning Bess, Morgan and Yale in the direction of tent. They stood in shock as hungry flames began to devour the tent.
"Bess, Morgan, stay with the children." Yale ran toward the fire and saw Walman at the edge of the fog. "Walman, find help." The other man turned and caught the unfolding scene. He was torn for a second, wanting to assist Yale and doing what he was told. He decided to find others to help douse the flames that were beyond the work of two men.
The heat from the blaze kept the cyborg from entering. He turned to the robot, who had followed him to the tent. "ZERO, can you detect any signs of life inside?"
"Two life-forms."
"Dear God, Julia and Alonzo. ZERO bring them out."
The robot never hesitated. He walked into the flames and moments later, walked out. Locked in his bulky metal arms were two bodies. The clothing of one and smoke streaked bandages of the other smoldered from the heat as small fires sought purchase.
"Hurry." At Yale's urging, ZERO took bigger steps. When they had reached a safe distance from the burning area, the cyborg ordered the robot. "Put them down." Yale grabbed Alonzo, who was on the outside, laying his limp form gently on the ground. Turning, the elderly man caught Julia and, whipping off his coat, snuffed out a few small flames on the doctor's clothing. Neither seemed to be breathing. Yale looked around frantically. What he needed was still inside. "ZERO, I need Julia's medical chest."
Part of the roof collapsed, sending a cloud of embers skyward. ZERO disappeared for a few seconds, then emerged. One arm carried the heavy chest as if it were light as a feather, in the other he held the doctor's diaglove.
Yale wrapped his hand in his coat and tried to open the latch.
"Allow me, sir. My functions include great manual dexterity."
The robot pulled the latch free, opening the chest. Yale tapped two portable oxygen containers. They were only warm to the touch. Turning the canisters on, he quickly covered the faces of his two friends and pumped oxygen into their lungs, praying he was not too late.
Danziger and Walman ran up and slid to their knees.
"Are they all right?'
"I don't know, John."
He reached for the diaglove. The plastic was soft from the heat. The functions sputtered, giving erratic readings.
"It's no good."
"Give me that." Danziger did a quick analysis. He banged it with his fist.
The reading stabilized. Just then, the pilot began coughing. Alonzo twisted, gasping for air.
"Easy there, pal. Walman, get some water."
The pilot opened his eyes, worried blue eyes studied his back.
"Where's Julia?" Alonzo's voice was hoarse from the smoke.
"She's right here. You're both safe."
"Where? Let me see her." the pilot demanded.
"See her? 'Lonz, you can see? You got your sight back?"
The pilot ignored him. He looked to Yale for reassurance. The cyborg was studying the sporadic read outs on the glove. Danziger propped the pilot up. Alonzo reached out and brushed Julia's singed hair. A clump lay matted with blood.
"Yale?"
"She'll be fine, Alonzo. You both are lucky to be alive. A few moments more and the news would not have been so good. We have our good friend, ZERO, to thank for your deliverance."
"Well, looks like all those oil and lubes paid off for a change." Danziger patted ZERO's soot covered dome."Come on, let's make sure we got rid of all our visitors. Walman, stay here with Yale. I'll be back as soon as the area's secure."
Bess, Morgan and the kids soon joined the group huddled by the dying fire. They did what they could to treat the injured couple. The heavy tape and ointment had protected the pilot for the most part. Alonzo thought a few new blisters and a dose of smoke inhalation wasn't a bad price to pay in exchange for their lives and the return of his sight. As order was restored and the scattered crewmen gathered in a tight circle, the pilot watched and worried over Julia.
When the young woman finally opened her eyes, it was to stare in blank confusion at the world around her. A bare-chested Alonzo had Yale's coat draped over his shoulders. A few bright white bandages stood in stark contrast to the majority of blackened tape that covered the rest of him. In the dim light, he seemed to be watching her, although she knew this wasn't possible.
"Hey Doc." He took her uninjured hand in his and pressed it to his chest while he watched her brain gathering and sorting pieces of puzzled memory. Prompting, he told her, "We had a close call. You must have put up quite a fight before I could reach you. Yale says your hand is broken."
The doctor tried to speak and began coughing. Walman stepped forward with water. Both men supported the injured woman until she caught her breath. The doctor turned to the pilot. Alonzo watched a storm of emotions cross her face as she reached out to touch his face.
"Julia, I can see again. Whatever it was, must have sorted itself out. Maybe it was PTS, or maybe slamming my head into ZERO's leg helped. I don't know or care. I just know that by some miracle we're alive and safe and that's all that really matters."
Tears welled and spilled from her pale blue eyes. He gathered her in his arms and despite the pain, they clung to each other. Death lingered in the shadows, reeking of smoke and blood.
"Shhh. Everything's going to be all right now." Alonzo stroked her hair, trying to still Julia's sobbing.
"No. It's my fault. I drove you away. This would never have happened..."
"Julia. It's not your fault."
"Please, I don't know how to explain, except that over the last few months I've grown so afraid of losing anyone, especially you."
"Julia--"
Her words tumbled over his protest. "With the syndrome children, it was different. I always knew there was no hope, that eventually they would die, no matter what we did. But here, my decisions could mean life or death for people I've grown to love. Alonzo, emotion was overwhelming my judgment and I tried to compensate with control."
"Julia, I'm not real proud of the way I acted either. I'm used to flying off when things get too intense. That might have worked in the past but it doesn't any more. Something's changed -- something in me. I was about to turn around when I was attacked. I don't remember much of what happened after that except everything fell apart. I woke up and found I couldn't deal with being a burden. I lost hope. Tonight, I realized there was something worse. I almost lost you too."
Julia felt a lump in her throat which caused a new round of coughing. Yale hurried over.
"I shouldn't have to remind you both those oxygen systems were given to you for a reason."
They slipped their masks back in place, feeling like disobedient children under the tutor's stern gaze. Alonzo caught Julia's eye and winked. The sparkle was back, stronger than ever. He still held her hand against his chest. She could feel his warm strength, the strong beat of his heart. Julia had no doubt there would be rough times ahead but for now she was content to let nature take its course.
The End.